My First (hopefully not last) Writers Conference

Some special writers at the conference (Photo by Christina L.)

     Meeting people makes me sick. It's not that I hate people; I love friends! But meeting new people, even just thinking about becoming acquainted with strangers, gives me butterflies in the stomach. I mumble and tumble through sentences, ask strangely-worded questions, and try to keep my heart from racing. 

     So what was I thinking when I decided to go to a writer's conference?

     Thanks be to God, He has taught me at least one thing in my lifetime; trying to impress people is just another way of being prideful. The nervousness abates more quickly when I focus on the other person. I made a conscious decision to become an extrovert (even if an awkward one) for the few days of the conference.

     I did not have to try hard to make friends. Within the first few hours, I was quickly absorbed into a cult called "Teen Track." Ok, just kidding, it wasn't a cult. It was a series of classes led by author Bryan Davis. 

    Ahem. I said, I got to learn about writing from Bryan Davis. Hello! His Dragons In Our Midst series ranks in my top ten most influencial books for my writing (and my life, which -- for me -- goes hand-in-hand with writing). It was an insanely special privilage for me to be under Mr. Davis's teaching.

The Teen Track (photo by Deliegha S.)

     Apparently, Mr. Davis has been leading the Teen Track at this particular conference for quite a few years (somewhere in the double digits, I heard). Many teens and young adults have returned to his classes year after year. It was encouraging to see how God is using Mr. Davis to mold a new generation of top-notch writers who are after a standard of excellence and holiness. I certainly learned a lot! 

     The citizens of the kingdom of Teen Track are all amazing young people. Spending time with them felt like how I imagine the Inklings felt; having fun, safe in an enviroment of writers with the same goals. It was, simply, a group of friends who freely accepted others -- balm to an introvert's soul.

     Outside of the Teen Track, I found an equally interesting assortment of writers; some not much older than I, one in her eighties! The group was not very large, but each person I met had a unique story. It was so much fun to sit beside, eat with, worship with, and yes, even meet so many people with similar interests.

     But crawling out of my comfort cocoon and temporarily transforming into a social butterfly was

Everybody together (photo by Christina L.)

not the reason I went to the writer's conference. I went as part of my game plan (see the post from September 1st). I am happy to report that this step of the plan was a success. I made important connections, learned valuable lessons, and gathered helpful tools. On top of that, it was a blast! If you are a writer and you ever have the opportunity to go to a conference, do it. It's worth all the nervous butterflies in your stomach.  

Post Tenebras Lux!

-ST

     

      

A Beginning, A Muddle, And An End

Hey'a, fair peoples of the internet! I am here bearing tidings and stories!

I have come to embrace the cycle that I talked about in the previous post: Writing, then realizing that I don't know where I'm going. Plotting, then realizing that I don't know what the characters would naturally do. Character Developping, then figuring out enough to start writing again. I figure that I will eventually finish as long as I continue working on it. 

Right now, I am writing the begining (yes, again, shut up). I happen to have three seperate documents in the folder titled "Possible Start", "Possible Middle", and "The End." The first is a couple hundred words, the second is completely blank, and the third has a short list of things that must be accomplished in the story by the end of the book. These are not the only Flight docs (*weary snicker*), but they give a good idea of how the basic story stands in my head right now. It's a muddle in the middle and the ending is far away. 

Speaking of middle muddles, my copy of AVI's A Beginning, a Muddle, and an End was horribly murdered by mold. Such a tragedy has never befallen my library before. I guess that's what happens when you live in the south. Thankfully, abebooks.com came to my rescue again by providing a cheep replacement. 

I've been enjoying J. R. R. Tolkien these past few weeks. I'm reading Carpenter's biography and falling in love with Toller's imagination in a new way. Alongside, I'm reading the new Beowulf by Tolkien. The commentary is a challenge, of course, but it's worth the struggle. I'm learning so much about Tollers, Middle Earth, and even history itself between these two books. 

As time goes on, I get a profound sense of loneliness in my writing. Obviously, writing is usually a work for one. That's not what I mean. The feeling partly comes from reading about the Inklings. I want to be part of a like-minded group, belong to a place where the limits of my knowledge will be pushed, be striving for holiness in story with others. 

So I will be going to the writer's conference. I'm going to learn much about my craft and meet many professionals in my field of study. But I'm praying for an extra blessing. Maybe I will find a group to meet with. Or maybe I'll just find a friend. Maybe God will say, "Not for you. Not now."

Well, I can only be faithful.

Post Tenebras Lux!

-ST

Still Here

     I don't know about you, but I am still here.

This is how Mr. Smiley protests my long absences.

     A lot has been going on in my life. I went to Haiti for a week. Then I went to Massachusetts for a week. Then I did an intense childcare program for a week.

     I have been working on Flight, though not as much as I should. I have gone back to working out the plot. I think I will write faster if I know where I'm going, what the next step is supposed to be.

     Not gonna lie; I feel like I keep going in circles. I'm getting frustrated because I JUST WANT TO GET THIS FIRKIN-MOOSE STORY ON PAPER! But then I realize that I don't really know exactly what the story looks like. And then I come and vent to you.

     And speaking of circles, I still haven't decided if I'm going to the writer's conference. It's about $1,000 to go, and I'm naturally a Scrooge at spending money on things for myself (except when it comes to books -- I spend stupid money on books). This is assuming, of course, that I don't win the scholarship. Because, seriously, I probably won't win. I might not even enter, because you have to submit 1,000 words (if only words were dollars!) of your current project. Flight doesn't have a set of comprehensible words that long yet!

     Sheesh, I can't even believe how good I am at this being-a-writer thing.

     Ok, sarcasm aside, here are a couple good points:

• Now that life has slowed down a little, I am getting back on a routine of working on Flight. If you wouldn't mind, I would appreciate prayer for creativity in nailing this plot down. Also, to help me in this department, I am currently reading The Plot Thickens by Noah Lukeman (though I have only gotten to the character development parts. Which I have already done. But it is making consider going back and doing it again... NO! I WILL PRESS FORWARD! < I don't know why, but I heard a German accent there, did you?).
  
• I have until the end of December to get my submission for the writer's conference scholarship in. Even so, I feel that I am very close to just throwing the money at them and going. It would be fun and $1,000 isn't going to look like much over the course of my life. Plus, it's on the Game Plan.
  
• Chocolate oranges are back for the season. 

Ok, I gotta quit procrastinating and go work on Flight.


Post Tenebras Lux!
-ST

Titans

     So, I recently watched this anime called "WICKEDAWESOMEGIANTSLAYERSTHATAREKINDOFGRUESOMEBUTSTILLAWESOMEANDHAVESWORDSANDCANFLY!"

     It's Japanese.

     So, yeah, Attack on Titan was the first anime I've seen and I loved it. Not every moment of it

Epic fanart by Lowah
http://inabottleofstars.tumblr.com

(anime is not for children, let's set that straight), but the overall story is good; All of mankind is trapped behind a wall. The wall is there to keep these giants called Titans out. When the Titans break down the wall, all hell breaks loose.

     I may or may not have been listening to the theme song while writing (or any other time I want to feel epic; like while I'm doing laundry or dusting). It doesn't seem to be helping me write, though, because progress has been slow. Working the kinks out of the climax and the beginning is taking a long time. And I keep on catching myself surfing the internet. It's hard to focus.

     After only getting about a page's worth of notes done before quitting for bed, I asked myself, "Why do I feel ok with my slow progress? Why am I content with just a page of notes? I want to get this project done and yet I keep wasting my time! Why?"

     It's because I'm afraid. I have encountered this Titan before and it always paralyses me. In this particular instance, I am procrastinating because I am afraid of committing myself to the story as it is now and then having to go back and change it.

     Well, that's stupid, because that's a writer's life. I didn't get it right the first time and I may not get it right the second time or the third time. At some point, I need to call it quits and just finish.

     It's over, Titan of fear. I ain't playin' this game. I am determined to complete this book. "SIE SIND DAS ESSEN UND WIR SIND DIE JAGER!"

Post Tenebras Lux!
-ST

P.S. What Titans have you or are you overcoming in your life? What did you/are you doing to win?

Adventure in Haiti (A True Story)

     This past week, my family and I visited Haiti. It was the first time I had been out of the country (unless you count the Canadian side of Niagara Falls).

    

All the cousins before the wedding.

We went because my cousin, the lovely Nicole, was marrying a Haitian man named Onny. Nicole and her family have been involved with the Haitian church for years. Now she and her new husband will continue the work together from inside the country.

     After hearing about Haiti from Nicole for the past few years, it was exciting to finally experience it. My sisters and I rode with Nicole and Onny from the airport to the house where we were staying for the week. Onny commented that we didn't talk much, but that was because we were absorbing everything with our mouths hanging open. Talk about culture shock.

Homes built into the mountains. Picture by Michaela.

 

   
     Haiti is one of the 20 poorest countries in the world. The towns we drove through felt like half inner-city slums and half Indiana-Jones-style Middle Eastern. The house where we stayed had no indoor plumbing. Electricity ran for only a few hours in the evening via a generator. It was fun to adapt and learn an everyday life different from my own.

     Though the earthquake in 2010 devastated Haiti, we saw people getting back on their feet. There were many gardens growing tomatoes and cabbage (say "shoo" in Creole), very few piles of rubble, and even roads being re-paved.

     My cousin and her family have been working closely with a particular Haitian pastor. This pastor has many projects to help people. One thing he does often is take orphans into his home.

My sister and I with the village kids on the wall of their original church.

     We went to a village that had a church made of tin and tarp. Their original church of stone was
destroyed by the earthquake, and now the people are exposed to the elements during the services. The pastor and several members of the church are working to rebuild the church, plus build an orphanage and a hospital. Nicole and Onny have a vision to be part of this huge work.

     We also visited a woman's house that had a collapsed roof and cracks in the walls caused by the earthquake. With help from my uncle, the pastor is working to build her another house. They have the land bought. Now they are waiting for funds to build the building.

     The pastor also works closely with a school. The school currently has about 50 students, but it is capable of holding 200 more, if people could afford to pay the government-imposed fines.

 

Kyle "Foo" (cousin), Michaela (sister), Nicole (cousin).

Spiritually, the people of Haiti are much like Americans. We all fear and do not see how powerful God is; for unsaved Haitians, they fear voodoo. We all misplace priorities and put emphasis on things we can see and touch, rather than eternal things. We all need the counsel of others to spur us toward Godliness. Though these things are our faults, we all do some things well. We worship from the heart. We care for the hopeless. We hold to the true Gospel; that Christ died for us, rose again, and will return, and we will be with Him forever if we trust Him.

 
     Our cultures are very different, but if we only have the Gospel in common, it is enough to share the love of Christ. I am thankful for the opportunity I had to see Christ's crazy ("foo" in Creole) love spreading over Haiti. Please pray with me for both countries, Haiti and America.

Post Tenebras Lux!
-ST